Title: Lost & Found

Series: Part 11 of Entangled. Takes place shortly after Gifting.

Summary: Kaiba will stop at nothing to get Yami back when he's kidnapped in place of Mokuba.

Pairings: Kaiba x Yami

Rating: Rated M for a graphic sexual lemon, language, adult situations, and violence.

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! does not and will never belong to me.

Chapter 01: At All Costs

"So what did you want to talk about?" Yami asked Mokuba as they walked home together from school. It was still strange seeing Mokuba in a high school uniform, but in a good sort of way. Although, Yami had his suspicions that Kaiba would disagree with him; he just didn't seem ready to have his little brother grow up that fast.

Tightly gripping this bookbag strap, Mokuba felt foolish for being embarrassed to ask. He knew that Yami would most likely agree, but it still felt weird to just randomly make such a request of Yami, even if he did consider him to be a good friend. "Promise you won't laugh at me?" Mokuba asked first, still unable to shake the feeling that Yami would find his request funny.

"Promise," Yami agreed, his curiosity becoming more and more piqued.

Taking a moment to build up his confidence, Mokuba finally came out and asked, "Would you duel me?"

Out of all the possible questions Yami had been expecting, that hadn't even crossed his mind once. He had assumed it might be about Kaiba or something school related, but not about playing a game. "In Duel Monsters?" Yami clarified, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Yeah," Mokuba confirmed, nervously waiting for Yami's answer. "I've wanted to ask you for a while now, but…"

"But?" Yami prompted, hoping to get an answer from the younger teen.

Much like his older brother had done things during Duelist Kingdom he had later come to regret, the same was true of Mokuba. He still felt the shame of having challenged Yami so disrespectfully with stolen cards in an attempt to get his star chips in order to try and free Kaiba from Pegasus. "But I didn't think you'd want to play me after what happened last time," Mokuba mumbled, his cheeks heating up in his embarrassment.

Yami had to smother a grin at how adorably similar Mokuba looked like Kaiba in his reaction, but he kept his amusement out of his voice as he seriously questioned, "Are you only asking me because you want to make up for what happened last time we fought?"

"No!" Mokuba vehemently denied, looking up at Yami in earnest and confused by the fondness he saw in those scarlet eyes. "I mean, that was originally part of it, but I just really want to play against you and—"

"And I would love to," Yami interrupted to consent, failing to hold back his smile when Mokuba's face lit up in excitement.

"Really?" Mokuba exclaimed, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He had been trying to work up the courage to ask for some time now, but it was so hard to get Yami alone whenever they were all hanging out as a group.

Even as he wondered what Kaiba's reaction would be, Yami said, "Just tell me when and where."

"Tomorrow after school at my house?" Mokuba requested, knowing that Kaiba would be in a business meeting and couldn't watch them.

"Are you sure you don't want to do it today?" Yami asked, finding it strange that Mokuba would ask and not want to play immediately. "Seto's in meetings for another few hours, after all."

It was tempting, but Mokuba's loyalty won out as he explained, "But we promised Yuugi and everyone we would hang out with them later."

"We still could after the game," Yami pointed out, although he understood. It had been difficult recently to get everyone's schedules to line up since Anzu was working on the school's Cultural Festival committee and had meetings every day, which meant Yuugi was staying at school to wait for her. Honda and Jounouchi were on cleanup duty at the school and Kaiba always had work immediately after school ended—not that he would have joined the Yuugi-tachi to hang out regularly, though. Today they had all agreed to meet up at the Game Shop later in the day, so it meant Yami and Mokuba had some time to kill until the rest of the group joined them.

"But what if you want a rematch after I beat you?" Mokuba challenged, making Yami laugh heartily at how much it sounded like Kaiba talking.

"These are from nii-sama, aren't they?" Mokuba asked with a grin as he pulled out one of the honeydew melons in the fridge.

"Yeah, he spoils me with Takano," Yami confirmed with a soft smile before his stomach rumbled approvingly. "Want to split it?"

"Is it okay?" Mokuba asked, not wanting to take away from Yami's gift.

"That's what it's there for," Yami said by way of permission. "Why don't you cut it up while I go let Jii-chan know we're here?"

Nodding in silent agreement, Mokuba started rummaging in the drawers for a sharp enough knife to cut into the small melon while Yami left to go talk to his grandfather. He had only made a few cuts before Yami came back looking a bit bewildered. "What's up?" Mokuba asked as he made another slice.

"I guess he had a doctor's appointment or something," Yami replied, finding it odd that the Game Shop was closed during a weekday afternoon. "Either that or Arthur is in town again. But, more melon for us, right?"

"Yes!" Mokuba enthusiastically agreed, even as Yami started to eat one of the slices.

They engaged in small talk as Mokuba finished cutting the melon, but just as he was about to finish, a quiet sound caught his attention. Mokuba immediately looked up and tried to pinpoint the source of noise, almost as if someone was trying to test the back doorknob and see if it was unlocked. He shushed Yami when the older teen started to ask a question and Mokuba tightened his grip on the knife when he heard the door open with the faintest trace of noise, almost like someone was intentionally trying to sneak into the house. Anzu and Yuugi would never do such a thing and Honda and Jounouchi were incapable of it, so Mokuba was on full alert. His older brother could easily manage such a thing, but he wouldn't make a single sound; besides, it wasn't his brother's style to make a surprise entrance in such a manner. That left the grandfather or an intruder and Mokuba really hoped it was the former.

Although it had been years since anyone had attempted to harm him in an effort to get to his older brother, Mokuba's instincts and training kicked in and he silently skulked toward the kitchen entrance, pressing his back close to the wall and peeking around the corner to see if there was any truth to his paranoia. The sight of two unidentified men in suits with earwigs creeping through the living room suspiciously made Mokuba's heart start to pound and his eyes frantically darted around the kitchen to figure out if there was any escape for himself and Yami. The window over the sink was too small and would alert the intruders that they were trying to get away. They were trapped with no way to get out other than a direct confrontation, so Mokuba prayed that the men decided to go upstairs to investigate so that it could buy them time or leave him only one person to deal with before getting away. Mokuba tensely waited and once again made a silencing gesture to Yami, who was about to ask a question over the confusing behavior he was witnessing.

Yami didn't understand why Mokuba was hiding against the wall, but he did as he was told, because the serious expression was so out of character that he didn't dare disobey. He remained motionless, eyes trained on Mokuba as he tried to understand what was happening. The sight of Mokuba edging away ever so slightly and turning with knife in hand worried Yami greatly, but he didn't have a chance to say anything about it.

Mokuba heard one set of footsteps going up the stairs, grateful that the old house had creaking stairs that the intruders didn't know how to avoid. That left Mokuba with one chance to make a break for it and he took advantage of that the moment the second man entered the kitchen. Without giving him so much as a word of warning, Mokuba swung his arm hard into the man's stomach, burying the knife deeply in his gut, making him double over with a cry. Using the position to his advantage, Mokuba pulled the knife out and then brought his knee up hard to connect to the man's face before punching him in the head with his fist and sending the man crashing to the ground, rendering him bleeding and unconscious in a matter of seconds.

"Come on," Mokuba hissed at Yami, gesturing for him to hurry so they could make their escape.

Yami was too stunned to move, his eyes frantically glancing between Mokuba and the bleeding stranger on the floor, unable to process what had just happened. Another growled order had him on his feet with the sheer authority of tone, even as he wondered what the hell had just happened. Mokuba grabbed Yami's hand with his non-bloodied one and tugged the older teen toward the door, hoping to escape before the second man came down the stairs. They made it as far as the living room before Mokuba heard the safety of a gun being removed and a voice call out, "Well, well, well. Look who decided to play hero."

Immediately getting into a defensive stance and forcing Yami behind him, Mokuba demanded, "Who are you?"

"Like I have to answer to a little punk like you?" the man scoffed as he walked down the rest of the stairs and began to approach them.

"Considering what I just did to your friend, yeah, I think you do," Mokuba taunted with a cruel smirk, hoping the man would look at his partner and give him the opportunity to act on the distraction.

"All you need to know is that I'm here for you," the man told him as he walked closer, "so we can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

With those words, Yami made his decision as he opened his connection with Yuugi, all but yelling at him, "Aibou, call Seto now, it's an emergency!"

"What's wrong?" was Yuugi's first reply, but Yami didn't have time for that or the overwhelming rush of concerned fear that he just caused his aibou.

"There are two men here trying to take Mokuba and they're armed," Yami hurriedly explained. "Call Seto, have him get his guys over to the Game Shop and make sure none of you come here until he says it's clear. Got it?"

"Yes, but Yami—"

"Now!"

Minimizing their connections in the hopes that it would help Yuugi focus, Yami tried to figure out what he could do to help the situation. The man had yet to do more than give him a cursory glance and Yami planned to use that to his advantage. He didn't have any immediate access to weapons, but that didn't mean Yami was without options. As long as he could hold them off until Kaiba's security team came to help, Yami thought it might be okay.

Although the presence of the gun was a little unsettling to Mokuba, he tried to buy some time by making the man talk. He had learned from an early age that his kidnappers usually liked to use their words against him, so he knew that it would either buy him time or give him the opportunity to act. "They only sent two of you to take me?" Mokuba taunted, hoping to get an answer that would help him find out if there was back up waiting to come in and aid the man.

"Like we'd be that stupid," the man scoffed, making Mokuba's heart sink a little. That meant there was surveillance outside and probably a driver to take them away in a hurry, so even if he could get outside, there would still be more trouble ahead.

"You're not exactly smart," Mokuba argued and tensed to throw the knife in his hand. He didn't want to throw away his only weapon, but it was the only thing he could think of to do to disarm his attacker.

Seeing Mokuba's hand move, the man cocked his gun and pointed it directly at Yami as he warned, "I wouldn't recommend doing that if I were you."

"He has nothing to do with this," Mokuba growled, his fear increasing. He couldn't let anyone hurt Yami and Mokuba decided then to pretend to be complacent, dropping the knife to the ground. If he could get the man to take him into the van that was likely waiting for them outside, then Mokuba could make his escape without any harm coming to Yami. "I'll come with you, so—"

"I won't let them take you," Yami interrupted as he defiantly walked forward, disregarding the gun and Mokuba's protests. Yami knew that Mokuba had to be protected at all costs and he would do anything to keep his friend safe; he would never forgive himself if something happened to him, let alone want to face Kaiba. He opened up his connection again, startling Yuugi in the process, but there wasn't time to worry about that or anything else other than the problem at hand. Calling forth the abilities granted to him by the Millennium Puzzle, Yami drew on the full force of his powers as he felt the shadows grow long around him and the glowing third eye appeared on his forehead. It still wasn't enough for what he needed to do so Yami lowered all walls between himself and the ancient artifact, feeling a sudden flare of power course through him until even his scarlet eyes were laced with golden traces of his heritage.

"What the hell are you?" the man exclaimed, taking a step back from the bizarrely supernatural sight.

Although Yami was tempted to use his powers on the man, he decided to do what he could to protect Mokuba first. Focusing on Mokuba, Yami held out his hand urging the shadows at his command to run across the floor and wrap around the endangered teen before dissolving him into nothingness.

Mokuba immediately began protesting, but he stopped when he saw where he was. He was no longer in the living room, but was alone in a foggy graveyard with distant roars in the background that sounded like they were getting closer. It was scary and confusing, so he called out to the space, "Yami, what's going on? Where are you?"

"Do not move from that position, understand?" Yami's voice echoed, sounding far away and close by all at once.

"Yes, but—" Mokuba started to agree, but he stopped when he felt Yami's presence disappear. "Yami!"

A loud roar behind him made Mokuba want to bolt, but he forced himself to remain where he was like he was told. Although he wanted to close his eyes and tell himself that none of it was real, Mokuba turned his head to look over his shoulder. He had not been expecting to see an embodiment of Yami's Osiris god card rapidly approaching and he didn't have time to question it before it was wrapping around him, coiling like a snake. He started to panic, but he felt the whisper of, "Protect," in his mind and it made Mokuba shiver at the weird sensation of a foreign being in his head.

He had just calmed down again when a herd of monsters started to approach on the horizon, but there was nothing he could do with his arms pinned at his sides. Only when they were within range did Osiris fire off his Shouraidan attack, eradicating them all instantly. It made Mokuba feel an irrational urge to pet the dragon on the head in gratitude, but he simply mumbled, "Thanks," as he waited for Yami to come back and explain what was happening.

Once Yami was confident that Osiris would protect Mokuba in the Shadow Realm, only then did he refocus on the attacker. It was already draining him because the Millennium Puzzle was so far away, but Yami kept telling himself that as long as he could hold out until Kaiba's guys arrived, it would be okay. "Leave," Yami commanded, his voice deep with the power of shadows.

Even if the man was inclined to obey, he was rooted to the spot at the display of strange power before him. "Heh, hat's some magic trick you've got there," the man commented with a nervous laugh, swallowing down his fear. "But I'm not leaving without the kid."

Although he knew it was unwise, Yami reached out and flicked his hand, whipping the man's hand with a shadow and sending the gun clattering to the floor. The man started in shock at Yami, holding his wrist that burned with a numbness he didn't understand.

"How long does it take to kidnap a kid?" a new voice angrily demanded, causing Yami to look toward the door and his heart dropped when he saw it wasn't Kaiba's back up, but the man's. "What the hell is this?"

The new man gestured at Yami with a gun and he realized he was in serious trouble as it allowed the other man to pick his weapon up off the floor. He was outnumbered and almost completely spent, so he had no choice but to secure Mokuba with the only way he had left.

Mokuba couldn't tell if he had been in the strange place for a minute or an eternity, but he was miserably waiting for something to happen. He felt something that felt like Yami brush against his mind, much like Osiris had done earlier and it once again was a disturbing feeling. The sadness, regret, and fondness echoing through him from Yami immediately made Mokuba start to protest, "Yami, what are you—?"

"Tell your brother I'm sorry," Yami murmured before the world went dark once more for Mokuba.

Staggering on his feet with the amount of power he had just used, Yami remained standing through sheer force of will alone. He could only hope that he had deposited Mokuba safely in his upstairs bedroom and that the men wouldn't check the house and discover him. The shadows were trying to claim him for his overusing his abilities, but Yami fought it off, trying to hold out just a little bit longer, knowing that Kaiba's men had to be close.

"Tell your boss that they cannot have the Kaiba family," Yami ordered them, hoping on the off chance they would be scared off by his show of power and leave before he collapsed. "I am their protector and I will not allow them to come to harm."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" the newcomer said before pistol-whipping Yami and sending him sprawling to the floor, knocked unconscious.

A/N: New story, new cliffhangers, a whole new reason to want to throttle me~.

I'm really excited to finally be working on this story. I've been laying the groundwork for the last two years throughout every single story of Entangled, so this is going to be one hell of a treasure hunt for my loyal readers who know that no words are ever wasted in these fics.

L&F is going to be a long fic; I've currently got it plotted out to roughly 40 chapters, but that number might change. Either way, we're in for a long story full of lots of twists and turns. I consider this a real turning point for all of the characters and I hope you enjoy the crazy ride!

I know that Mokuba's actions probably came as a shock to most of you, but I think with as many times as he's been kidnapped and based on the skill sets we've seen Kaiba demonstrate, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that he received similar training to defend himself against attackers. The actions in the moment and the aftermath are two very separate things, though.

NEXT CHAPTER:

Everything went cold in Kaiba and he asked in a dark tone, "What happened?"

Check back on Sunday, October 31st for the next update and please let me know your thoughts on this new story! I know a lot of you have been waiting for the last two years for me to get everything built up to this point, so I hope it's worthwhile!